Gwangju FC (Korean: 광주 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Gwangju that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. They joined the K League in the 2011 season.
History
Gwangju FC was founded in December 2010 and first participated in the K League in 2011. In 2012, Gwangju FC was relegated to the K League Challenge (now K League 2), the newly-formed second-tier professional league in South Korea. In 2014, they were promoted back to the top tier for the 2015 season.
The club oscillated between the first and second tiers, winning the second division championship in 2019 and 2022.[1]
In the 2023 K League 1 season, Gwangju achieved its best-ever performance under the leadership of Lee Jung-hyo, finishing third in the league and earning a spot in the AFC Champions League Elite for the first time. Under Lee's attacking playing style, Gwangju upset J1 League sides Yokohama F. Marinos 7–3 and Kawasaki Frontale 1–0 in their debut continental matches in the 2024–25 edition,[2] qualifying for the knockout stage as the only South Korean club.[3]
Stadium
Gwangju FC plays its home games at the 40,245-capacity Gwangju World Cup Stadium.[4] Between 2020 and 2024, they played at the Gwangju Football Stadium,[5] but had to move back to the World Cup Stadium ahead of the 2025 season due to the small size of the field and lack of seating.[4]
Rivalries
Gwangju's primary rivals are Daegu FC in a match dubbed the Moonlight Derby.[6] The rivalry between the two clubs mirrors the strong baseball rivalry of Kia Tigers in Gwangju and Samsung Lions in Daegu, partially stemming from the stark difference in political leaning between the two cities.[7]
Gwangju also shares a rivalry with nearby Jeonnam Dragons in the Yellow Derby.[8]
Players
Current squad
- As of 17 February 2025[9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Backroom staff
Coaching staff
- Manager:
Lee Jung-hyo - Head coach: Ma Chul-jun
- Coach: Cho Yong-tae
- Goalkeeping coach: Shin Jeong-hwan
- Fitness coach: Kim Kyung-do
- Analysis coach: Park Won-gyo
Support staff
- Analyst: Yook Tae-hun
- Medical staff: Shin Yong-sub, Kim Min-shik, Go Han-seul, Yang Jae-hyuk
- Interpreter: Choi Hyuk-soon
- Kit manager: Oh Dong-yeong
- Logistics manager: Jeon Chung-hwi
- Team doctor: Lee Jun-young
Source: Official website[10]
Managers
| No. | Name | From | To | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
Choi Man-Hee
|
2010/10/18 | 2012/12/01 | 2011–2012 |
2
|
Yeo Bum-Kyu
|
2012/12/06 | 2013/08/16 | 2013 |
| Nam Ki-il
|
2013/08/16 | 2015/01/03 | 2013–2014 | |
3
|
Nam Ki-il
|
2015/01/04 | 2017/08/14 | 2015–2017 |
4
|
Kim Hak-bum
|
2017/08/16 | 2017/11/18 | 2017 |
5
|
Park Jin-sub
|
2017/12/16 | 2020/12/01 | 2018–2020 |
6
|
Kim Ho-young
|
2020/12/22 | 2021/12/04 | 2021 |
7
|
Lee Jung-hyo
|
2021/12/28 | 2022– |
Honours
League
Season-by-season records
| Season | League | FA Cup | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos. | ||
| 2011 | 1 | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 43 | –11 | 35 | 11 | Ro32 |
| 2012 | 44 | 10 | 15 | 19 | 57 | 67 | –10 | 45 | 15↓ | Ro16 | |
| 2013 | 2 | 35 | 16 | 5 | 14 | 55 | 54 | +1 | 53 | 3 | Ro16 |
| 2014 | 36 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 40 | 35 | +5 | 51 | 2↑ | Ro16 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 35 | 44 | –9 | 42 | 10 | Ro32 |
| 2016 | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 41 | 45 | –4 | 47 | 8 | Ro16 | |
| 2017 | 38 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 33 | 61 | –28 | 30 | 12↓ | QF | |
| 2018 | 2 | 36 | 11 | 15 | 10 | 51 | 41 | +10 | 48 | 5 | 3R |
| 2019 | 36 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 59 | 31 | +28 | 73 | 1↑ | Ro16 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 27 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 32 | 46 | –14 | 25 | 6 | Ro16 |
| 2021 | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 42 | 54 | –12 | 37 | 12↓ | 3R | |
| 2022 | 2 | 40 | 25 | 11 | 4 | 68 | 32 | +36 | 86 | 1↑ | Ro16 |
| 2023 | 1 | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 47 | 35 | +12 | 59 | 3 | QF |
| 2024 | 38 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 42 | 49 | –7 | 47 | 9 | SF | |
Key
- SF = Semi-final
- QF = Quarter-final
- Ro16 = Round of 16
- Ro32 = Round of 32
- 3R = Third round
References
- ^ "역사" [History]. gwangjufc.com (in Korean). Gwangju FC. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "How the rookie 'Korean Mourinho' has Gwangju taking the ACL Elite by storm". ESPN. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ Yoo, Jee-ho (18 February 2025). "1 K League club in AFC Champions League Elite knockouts after Pohang Steelers lose". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ a b "[공식발표] 광주, 2025시즌 홈 개막전 장소 변경…광주월드컵경기장에서 새 시즌 출발". Goal.com (in Korean). 5 February 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
- ^ "'전용구장 첫 입성' 광주 팬들 "지붕은 없지만, 거대한 변화"". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "'달빛 더비'로 시작하는 K리그1 파이널 라운드". OhmyStar (in Korean). 18 October 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "Flying bottles, burned bus, broken dreams: history of rivalry between 2024 Korean Series foes". The Korea Times. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "광주-전남 '옐로더비'…'1년 차' 사령탑 지략대결 누가 웃을까". kwangju.co.kr (in Korean). 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "프로선수단 전체". gwangjufc.com (in Korean). Gwangju FC. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ "코칭스태프" [Coaching staff]. gwangjufc.com (in Korean). Gwangju FC. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)
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